


To Look for New Weapons

by FelicityKitten



Series: Fate Amenable to Change [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family Feels, Gen, Healthy Relationships, Hurt/Comfort, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and hello??? a former child soldier giving a nod to kidnap a child from her parents?, as if that would ever happen, especially to the White Lotus, watch me extend all the middle fingers to canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27353773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FelicityKitten/pseuds/FelicityKitten
Summary: It’s been nine days since P’Li watched her worst fears come true - her daughter Nazra revealed herself as a combustionbender. The very same day, a girl in the Southern Water Tribe bent fire for the first time.P’Li and Zaheer have to put away all the lingering hurt from their fight and try to find a way to save the young Avatar Korra and her family from the White Lotus seeking to control her.
Relationships: Ghazan/Ming-Hua (Avatar), Korra & Senna (Avatar), Korra & Tonraq (Avatar), P'Li & Original Female Character, P'li/Zaheer (Avatar), Senna/Tonraq (Avatar), Zaheer & Original Female Character
Series: Fate Amenable to Change [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1940404
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	To Look for New Weapons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Esaleyon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esaleyon/gifts).



> So it's been six months since my co-writer's work [Empty and Become Wind](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23952484/chapters/57606247#main) started on AO3 and you all know how much that story means to me :) and so here I wondered what to do for the occasion and came up with this oneshot which illustrates the moment where the Red Lotus approach Tonraq and Senna with their unusual request.
> 
> My thanks, as always, goes to my dear [Esaleyon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esaleyon/pseuds/Esaleyon) for betaing this work and for giving me a nod to write in her universe :) I'm so happy she enjoyed this little prologue to her fic, and I hope you will as well!
> 
> trigger warnings: mild anxiety / dissociation, mention of past child abuse

P’Li recognizes the practiced quiet of his footsteps almost immediately; as Zaheer approaches her, he purposefully lets them fall louder to alert her to his presence. As much as the gesture always warms her heart, P’Li doesn’t turn around to face him.

Despite her best wishes to mend the recent wound of their disastrous fight and move forward, his presence still brings a lingering sense of hurt, one she’s very much not used to.

“The Avatar has been found,” his calm voice - just on the verge of being too pleasant to be natural - shakes through her carefully constructed peace of mind.

“Already?” her eyebrows rise up and she faces him. It’s been barely five years since Aang’s death.

“Rumor has it that she’s exceptionally precocious, even for an Avatar,” Zaheer continues in a pragmatic tone. P’Li moves her head in a silent gesture for him to come closer.

He sits opposite her, mirroring her Lotus pose, giving her enough space to be comfortable. P’Li is silent, an invitation for him to continue.

“Korra. Almost five years old,” he says, the _‘just like Nazra’_ an unspoken implication they both are aware of, heavy like the leaden sky before a snowstorm.

“Natively a waterbender, but she bent fire for the first time nine days ago.”

The atmosphere chills even further - the time interval offers yet another parallel with their daughter and the revelation of her own gift - one P’Li still feels incredibly torn about, unsure of what to do. Writing to her former mentor feels like an obvious choice, but for now, P’Li is still scraped raw, too angry and anxious to muster up coherent words - her pen shakes in her hands, creating uneven, illegible lines; it scratches holes into the parchment, making her growl in frustration as she sets yet another pitiful letter on fire.

Zaheer notices and averts his gaze, seeping through with hurt of his own.

“She’s the daughter of Senna and Tonraq of the Southern Water Tribe,” he continues to break through the tension.

“And the most important thing - Katara knows,” he adds.

That presents a problem - the old woman was once a revolutionary not unlike them, and P’Li wants to believe she still doesn’t turn her back on people who need her. However, her affiliations are more than unfortunate.

“The White Lotus has been informed then,” she spits.

“That’s not the worst of it,” he gives her a sad smile. “This Tonraq… he apparently got banished for desecrating a spirit forest. His younger brother was then next in line to rule over the Northern Water Tribe.”

Her gasp cuts through the morning stillness.

“But that’s… that’s…” P’Li is too distressed to even say it.

“Unalaq, I know. We have a significant problem on our hands.”

The man crossed their paths on several occasions, presenting himself as a sympathizer of their cause. Zaheer was eager to bond with him over forgotten knowledge and spiritual teachings at first, but Unalaq had his own agenda to pursue.

_“Did you notice the way his mouth curls when the topic steers to Vaatu and the need for balance?” Ming-Hua made a face, her water arms rising in an aggravated gesture._

_“Yeah, fucking creepy,” Ghazan shuddered. “Plus I don’t like the way he’s staring at you.”_

_“Ugh, don’t remind me,” she rolled her eyes. “He is full of shit, going on about how admirable my unique bending is, as if I can’t see through his condescendence.”_

_“I meant more like… he may be a Northerner, but his eyes definitely stray south,” he elbowed her in the ribs. She groaned and slapped him across the head with her water arm, leaving him soaked._

_P’Li left them to their antics, immersed in her own opinions about the man’s character. He definitely had his own interests to pursue and the wellbeing of common people surely didn’t belong there._

_“I think we can all agree that he’s not to be trusted,” she brought their attention back to the topic._

_“Explain that to the airhead,” Ming-Hua grumbled._

P’Li has a hard time articulating the full extent of her dread. Unalaq is a power-crazed fanatic, no better than other world leaders. With his influence and status, who could stop him before he grasped an innocent little girl’s life? Even if he by some chance didn’t get her in time, the White Lotus with their all-present reach would. One way or another, this child - Korra - will grow up to just be someone else’s tool. The worst realization hits her - who can promise her Nazra won’t be another?

Those untouchable by law do whatever they please, and their hunger never stops… nevermind the countless trampled lives should they decide to look for new weapons.

_How dare they… how dare anyone lay their hands on children like her? Like Nazra? Like they did to me and Lien-Hua?_

Her breath stutters and her gaze grows unfocused. Chilly, crawling sensation replaces warmth in her fingers, then it all starts fading. She doesn’t even realize she’s slipping when Zaheer gently brushes his fingertips across her clenched fist.

“I know, love. We will protect her, I swear,” his eyes hold hers for a moment, an overflow of tenderness and sympathy.

In that moment, their fight is forgotten and she crosses the space to fall into his embrace. He hugs her tight, resting his face on her sternum. He must hear how panicked her heart is, breathing deeply in a familiar slow rhythm. It takes an effort to maintain the frequency, but as minutes tick by, years of practice win over and she falls into it with ease. The turbulent flow of her qì slows down from its frenzy, leaving behind a soft calming thrum, returning life to her veins.

For a moment, all she can do is cling to Zaheer, regaining herself.

“It’s not fair,” she whispers after a while.

“I know it is not.”

“She’s so young,” she whispers after a while. “And she’s already bestowed with such a heavy burden upon her shoulders.”

“The only thing we can do is offer our guidance and support so she can grow into it and into herself however she sees fit,” he replies, rubbing her back. His answer lets her know he understood the double meaning.

“There’s a way to reverse this. We both know,” she leans away, holding his sight, pleading with him quietly. All pretenses that she’s still talking about the Avatar vanish.

That careful process described in her scrolls intended to reduce an overactive Ājñā to normal levels… P’Li pins all her hopes on it. The earlier the start, the higher chance it will actually work.

“I won’t step in your way if that’s what you really wish to do. You carry that burden, not I,” his gaze falls. “But I believe she should understand, learn in ways others cannot, and make her own choices based on that.”

His words make sense, yet P’Li is still so afraid. Her little ember is the greatest gift she could ever receive. To think someone would dare to taint her calm, gentle nature with horrors and pain... she won’t, can’t let them. She will see them all dead, ashes and charred bones. However… if the surest way to protect her is for Nazra to lose her gift, can P’Li be blamed for considering it?

“Besides,” he chuckled. “For our Naz, there may be a way out. But think of that little girl Korra. No one can revert her fate so easily.”

She leans away in shame, her heart constricting. She’d lost sight of the actual topic.

“If the White Lotus are aware of her existence, we have days at best before she’s lost to them forever,” she mumbles, almost defeated.

“I know,” he nods.

“What do we even do?” she throws her hands up in a frustrated gesture.

They’d have more than a few heated discussions on the topic of what should be done about the Avatar in the abstract. Zaheer argued that for true freedom to thrive, no person with so much power and responsibility should exist, but P’Li detested the idea of condemning anyone based on something they were born into and never chose for themselves.

They reached a consensus that the Avatar would have to be taught to see many different viewpoints, not be kept in the dark about the truth. As long as people ruled over others, they would never truly restore peace, only maintain stability - people would continue to suffer. And the most difficult part - the deeds of the past Avatars too often suppressed real change and contributed to injustice.

How to achieve such a feat was an entirely different matter. None of them pictured this moment coming so soon.

 _She’s just a child,_ P’Li can’t tune out the persistent thought, screaming at her to do something, to not let this girl be used and abused.

Zaheer’s jaw muscles are clenched tight, mouth downturned in quiet dismay - it’s clear that he also hates to watch uselessly and allow such a thing to happen. It rings way too close for them to be comfortable.

Then, something lights up in his green irises.

“I have an idea. But… it will sound like absolute lunacy,” he scratches the back of his head.

“I’m listening,” she replies.

“I suppose I should go back to the beginning. Do you know how I found out about this in the first place?” he asks in that charming way of his, voice lilting and almost melodic, that lets her know she’s in for an interesting story.

“I wanted to go to the market so you wouldn’t have to… you hate the cold too much,” he chuckles.

P’Li smiles despite herself. She lightly caresses the side of his face.

“And?” she gives him a teasing smirk.

“I overheard a conversation. A woman was talking about the latest mischief of her little hellion with such affection in her tone… it was clear she loved the child a lot.”

“Oh?” P’Li didn’t need to guess her name.

“And then she spoke with sadness, of having to give her up to be trained as the Avatar.”

Her alertness returns.

“It means the White Lotus already visited them.”

“Most likely. I couldn’t eavesdrop too much after that, but looking back on it… perhaps they would be open to hear the full truth if it gave them a chance to stay with their child.”

P’Li pinches her eyebrows in doubt. “That just puts us all into danger. Why would they listen to us of all people? And even worse… what if they inform the White Lotus?”

“Then they’re guaranteed to lose her anyway,” he shrugs, as if it was as simple as he presents.

P’Li tries to smirk, but her mouth feels too tight.

“So instead, you think they will abandon their comfort and leave everything behind to follow complete strangers into a life of danger and hiding?”

“I’m not sure. But I had a very distinct impression that Senna would do anything for her daughter,” his lip corner pulls upwards.

P’Li lets out an exasperated sigh. She understands the parallel he’s trying to draw, but Zaheer… does tend to get a bit sidetracked in his observations of others, seeing the potential rather than true character. Ghazan or Ming-Hua would probably estimate her better.

“I’d prefer not to just dance right into a polar beardog’s den,” she gives him a harsh look. “Think of Nazra. We can’t get captured and leave her alone in this Spirits-damned world.”

“I understand,” he looks down. He steps away from her and walks in slow circles, immersed in his ideas.

“I still think it’s fair to give them a warning,” Zaheer says after a moment. “Maybe they can run away.”

“I doubt they’re experienced enough to hide from the White Lotus for long.”

“True,” he clicks his tongue.

“We don’t have many options. We could fight the guards, but the environment puts us in disadvantage.”

That’s mildly put. Ghazan keeps fidgeting with small chunks of earth, grumbling about the ice not allowing him to feel the grounding presence of his own element. P’Li spends most of her days wrapped up in layers, her firebending severely weakened. She can still create explosions, that much she’s certain of, but it’s questionable how effective they would be.

Ming-Hua feels perfectly fine, she reminds them daily with a smug little sneer. She experiments with her bending constantly, one move more outrageous than the other, showing off even more than her partner.

“Another option would be to attempt to take Korra from them.”

Her eyes widen and she recoils, in complete disbelief he would even suggest that. Anger and hurt, almost forgotten at this point, surge up back to the surface.

“No kidnapping children. Under any circumstances,” her tone falls hard with resolution.

“I would never resort to it. I was just listing all possible solutions,” he tries to soothe her.

“Well think before you speak next time!” her ire sparks to life again. She can’t stand to look at him.

“If her parents love her, she should never have to grow up away from them! What would it make us? Just another kind of usurpers!” she tries very hard to keep herself from yelling.

“I’m aware of that, P’Li. Forgive me. I shouldn’t have said it and never meant to imply such a thing,” he steps back, but his eyes beg her to understand.

She’s still reeling, oversensitive and raw, but all her fire has been spent. Why start another fight? The insurmountable abyss between them has been there for too long. She misses him.

All the more, the fate of this child is far more important now. P’Li breathes out, willing the remaining tension out of her body.

“I know,” she sighs, reaching out a hand to him. He squeezes it like a lifeline. She is too overwhelmed to give more, but it’s enough for now.

“Let’s discuss with Ming-Hua and Ghazan.”

* * *

As Senna watches the couple, she can’t help but think she’s never seen a more unusual fit. The woman is taller than anyone she’s ever met, crouching generously through the entrance, clearly uncomfortable. Her forehead displays a strange mark, accentuated by the hair pulled into a tight braid, shaven clean at the sides. She seems to take everything in, but her impassive expression doesn’t let Senna guess what could be on her mind.

The man is of similar height and build as Tonraq, graying hair pulled back into a dishevelled ponytail. Similarly to his partner, he doesn’t show any emotion, and seems to mirror her husband with his suspicious stare.

He approached them a day ago, speaking of an urgent matter regarding their daughter, and asked them to meet in private. Tonraq’s fist clenched, itching to summon ice, Senna knew, but as unnerving the man was, she felt it was important to at least hear him out.

As a safety precaution, they made sure the subject of their discussion wouldn’t be present during the talk. Korra was all too eager to go and play with the rest of the kids and Senna felt a bit calmer knowing that their mothers would be around to watch over.

Nobu, one of the White Lotus guards, tried to discourage her, stressing how her daughter was unaware of her power and could easily hurt her peers. Senna winced, appalled by his implication - her daughter may be brash and overenthusiastic, but she’s not a danger to others.

She bit back a retort about how Nobu should know that, as often as he and the rest watched Korra with interest. On the other hand, it was worth noting that her daughter developed a strong dislike for him in particular. Senna can’t find it in herself to fault her - each time she’s around the man, she feels a sense of unease like a vague itch across her skin.

“So… Zaheer, was it?” Tonraq speaks, not taking his eyes off the man.

He nods. “And this is P’Li, my partner.”

“I will be honest with you. I have no reason whatsoever to trust you,” Tonraq stands with his arms crossed, immovable like a mountain.

“And yet you still agreed to meet us,” Zaheer replies, perfectly calm.

“I can take you on if I need to. There are about twenty White Lotus guards within shouting distance,” Tonraq glares at him.

The woman - P’Li or whatever her name was - pulls herself upright.

“I’ve had worse odds,” she glowers, her tone a clear threat.

Tonraq moves abruptly, but Senna stops him, putting her hands firmly on his shoulders. “Let’s hear what they have to say first.”

It’s a short battle of wills - under different circumstances, Tonraq would not budge so quickly, but the White Lotus order still haunts them both.

_Your daughter is the Avatar and as such, she’s appointed with a duty greater than all of us and needs to learn to act according to that. She must be protected for her own safety, and we’ve concluded the best course of action is to train her in a controlled environment isolated from any potential threats. Expect us back to retrieve her the next full moon._

The full moon is several days away, and each passing moment fills Senna with more grief. Their daughter, as energetic and quick-tempered as she is, is the light of their lives. To give her up for secluded life in a secret compound, separated from them… Senna’s heart lurches in her chest, protesting against such cruelty.

“What about the White Lotus? Do you trust them?” Zaheer raises one eyebrow in challenge.

“They serve the Avatar. They won’t harm my daughter,” he retorts.

“And yet they intend to take her away from you. That seems far from well-intentioned to me,” he says. His tone is strange - despite his polite smoothness, it’s a stab of steel in silk wrapping, meant to jab and provoke. Tonraq doesn’t tolerate such things lightly.

“And what would you know about that?” his voice barely rises, yet it thunders across the room.

Zaheer’s face remains stony and dispassionate.

“That is irrelevant. What I ask is if you truly care about her.”

“How dare you even imply otherwise?” Tonraq shouts, his neck muscles twitching.

“Because if you did… there’s no way you’d accept such an order.”

Senna agrees with his point, but searches for hidden motives these people surely must have.

“What other alternative do you present, then?” she asks, calm and pleasant, but watching the couple carefully. They exchange a brief glance and the tall woman nods. They seem very attuned to each other.

Senna expects her chest to fill with the vague dread she’s come to feel around the guards - now tracing her every step. However, as odd and undoubtedly dangerous these two are, she is not as afraid as she probably should be.

“We’re a part of a four-member group, three of us being rare, prodigious benders. If you come with us, your daughter will receive the best available training and most importantly - she will be your own to raise.”

Tonraq starts laughing.

“I swear as Yue is above… you must be a fool or trying to make one of me. Why would I agree on such a thing?”

“Because the White Lotus didn’t ask… the fact that they’re surrounding your living place isn’t a sign of protection, they want to make sure you won’t escape.”

Senna’s stomach squeezes - she remembers how Korra, usually boisterous and annoyed by too many people watching over her ( _“I’m the Avatar! I can deal with everything!”_ ), tries to make herself smaller around the guards. For the last two days, she’s even refused to sleep alone.

_Children know._

In what appears to be perfect timing, a hole is blown in the wall and a flash of brown and light blue collides with Tonraq’s legs.

“Daaaaad!” Korra wails in a high pitched tone.

“Hey, hey. What is it, sweetheart?” his voice turns soft and gentle as he picks her up.

“The mean guard came to watch again! I stuck out my tongue at him and he called me a snow peasant brat,” her blue eyes are impossibly wide and shimmering with unshed tears.

“He did?” Tonraq frowns.

“I threw ice at him!” Korra exclaims. “And he used fire, so I ran here as fast as I could.”

“Aw come on, shhh. Aana and aata won’t let anything happen to you,” he rocked her from side to side several times.

Senna catches the glance the strange couple shares - so incredibly fond she finds herself warming up to them a little bit.

The moment is interrupted by an insistent knock on the door. Senna gets up to open it, moving past the tall woman who gives her an unreadable look, her crimson eyes glossed over. Suddenly, Senna doesn’t find her quite as imposing.

She is met with an exasperated looking small woman in a coat with unusually long sleeves and silky black hair - a trait she shares with the dark-skinned, moustached man next to her. A gangly child practically hangs around his neck.

“What happened, Ghazan? You two were supposed to watch Nazra and stay out of this,” P’Li levels him with a penetrating glare.

“Ah, change of plans,” his sight scan the room, brushing over Tonraq still in the back holding Korra.

“Your little bundle of joy couldn’t be contained. She went on and on how she wants mom and dad and started crying.”

The girl is hiding her face into his shoulder, not wanting to be seen.

 _So they are parents themselves._ Senna can’t help but feel more sympathetic to them.

“He got scared she will blow something up,” the short woman snickers.

“Well excuse you, some of us still have limbs to lose!” he retorts. P’Li groans and takes the girl from his arms.

“What is it, my little ember?” the woman’s tone is completely different, a loving caress, and her features soften. Now Senna has a clear view of the child - her russet irises are the same as her mother’s, emphasized further by the redness from crying. Her cheeks are stained with tears.

“Are you and dad mad at me?” she mumbles, mostly through her nose.

“No! Why would you ever think that?” P’Li seems genuinely distressed by that idea.

“Before, you and dad yelled. I heard my name. Now all you do is leave me somewhere else,” the girl’s tiny lip quivers and Senna feels anger course through her. Perhaps she gave them the benefit of the doubt too soon.

“Oh Naz… I’m so sorry,” her voice chokes up.

“It’s nothing like that. Dad and I love you very much,” her eyes fill with tears as she pulls her daughter closer to her chest. The girl wraps her arms around her neck, holding tight and only after a while seems to relax.

P’Li seems reluctant to look at Senna, as remorseful as she is for upsetting her child. Still, as she meets her gaze, neither of them looks away - there’s a moment of silent understanding passing between them. Senna lets out a breath she hasn't been aware of holding and the tension leaves her frame.

“Hey dad… who are they?” Korra’s voice pipes in.

“That is a question indeed, Korra,” he sighs and comes closer. He’s still eyeing the bunch with suspicion, but there’s a slightest hint of amusement, betrayed by the twitch of his mouth corner. The man with moustache - Ghazan, Senna tries to connect that name to him - throws him a wink.

Zaheer speaks again. “Hello Korra. My name is Zaheer and we are called the Red Lotus.”

“Like the White Lotus?” she asks, a touch of fear in her tone.

“No, not at all. We have nothing in common with them,” his voice fills with genuine kindness and Senna can easily picture him reading nighttime stories to his own daughter.

“We’re so much cooler than them,” Ghazan grins.

“If you would agree to it, you and your mom and dad would come with us and we could teach you to master every element, so you can be the best Avatar you can be.”

Korra’s eyes light up.

“Even metal like Toph Beifong?” she asks, excited.

“How about lava?” Ghazan leans in as if sharing a secret.

“Lemme see!” she wriggles in his arms until Tonraq sets her down and she rushes closer to the man.

Despite her reservations, Senna watches fondly as her daughter looks through every figure in front of her with no fear, her wolf tails ruffled and belly poking out.

The man takes several pieces of rock from his robes and compresses them into a flat shape - it starts glowing on the edges, the surface cracking over with bright yellow. Korra stares in awe and reaches out her hands as if to touch it.

Senna tenses up and moves to grab Korra, but Ghazan’s reflexes are unexpectedly fast - he cools the liquid back into dusty brown in a split second.

“That’s the best thing ever,” she mouths, thoroughly amazed.

“It is. Not everyone can do it,” he nods, sticking his lip out to appear serious. Korra pouts and crosses her arms.

“I want to do that!” she exclaims, pumping her little fists in excitement.

“Well sorry kid, water is first on the menu. This is Ming-Hua. She will teach you if you ask her nicely.”

“Water is boooring,” Korra feigns yawning, but then the small woman drops her coat and Senna suppresses a gasp - instead of her arms, there are two long water tendrils manipulated with perfect control. Her daughter’s jaw drops.

“Still boring?” Ming-Hua smirks.

“How did you lose your arms?” her mouth opens in a perfect ‘O’. Senna throws an apologetic glance to the short woman, but she doesn’t seem to be angry.

“I never had them. I learned to bend water even without them. I can show you how.”

“No! I like my arms,” Korra leans away from the woman, making the man next to her - Ghazan - burst out laughing.

“Don’t worry, she’ll let you keep them. Auntie Ming-Hua isn't as mean as she looks like.”

Senna is doubtful as she watches Ming-Hua sharpen the tip of her tendril into an ice blade and aim it at him. Korra seems completely taken with them, though.

Then, her head jerks up again as another idea crosses her head.

“What about fire?”

P’Li gestures at Zaheer to come closer and he takes the girl from her arms - she seems livened up a bit, but hides behind his legs, peeking cautiously. The tall woman then squats down to at least try and get on Korra’s eye level.

“Hey Korra. My name is P’Li and I will be your firebending teacher… if you want, of course,” she says, her voice with the slightest hint of tremble.

Korra doesn’t answer and observes her longer. Her eyes automatically stray to her forehead tattoo. The woman appears tense - in that moment, Senna realizes that P’Li is aware of her intimidating affect, trying not to scare her daughter even more. Senna feels warmth spread through her chest. Something starts building inside her, gaining clearer contours.

“Will I have a tattoo like you?” Korra breathes out.

“No, I don’t think so,” she smiles, a little unsure and sad. Senna wonders about the reason why.

“It’s…” her speech falters. “It hurts a lot, you know?”

Korra pushes out her chest. “I can take it! I’m the Avatar!”

She stomps her feet on the ground and ejects a small chunk of earth. The tall woman giggles - such an unexpected sound given her stern appearance.

Korra’s eyes stray towards the last figure in the room. “So that leaves you for air?”

Zaheer chuckles. “No, I’m afraid not. I am a non-bender.”

“What use are you, then?” she squints at him. Behind Senna, Ghazan starts to snicker and whispers something to Ming-Hua - she manages to catch _‘asking myself the same thing’_.

“Well, I can teach you to meditate and all about the spiritual aspects of being the Avatar. You are the bridge between the Physical and the Spirit Worlds, after all.”

Korra blinks, unimpressed and spacing out. Zaheer opens his mouth to say something more, but the girl standing behind him finally shows herself.

“I promise that dad can be cool too,” she says in a quiet voice.

Korra is silent and takes a step closer to her. The girl looks up to Zaheer shyly, but he gently nudges her between the shoulder blades, encouraging her.

“What’s your name?” Korra asks.

“Nazra. But you can call me Naz,” the girl murmurs awkwardly, looking down onto her hands. She’s half a head taller than her daughter, but somehow appears smaller.

“Hi Naz. I’m Korra. I’m the Avatar,” she grins.

“I know. I heard you say it,” Naz answers.

“Are you a bender?” she leans to the other girl’s space.

“Mom says I could be, but it’s too early to say,” she shrugs. Korra looks on, as if expecting her to be another interesting surprise.

Naz bites her lip, her gaze straying. Then, she thinks of something and stands up a little taller. “One time, I made an explosion!” she proclaims. Senna suppresses her urge to coo - it’s so obvious the girl wants Korra to like her.

“No way! That’s amazing! How did you do it?”

Senna notices the concerned look Zaheer gives to his partner. P’Li frowns and pushes her lips into a thin line. However, as the tall woman watches her daughter - Naz blushes with delight and start speaking more, with Korra hanging onto her every word - something in her defenses cracks and melts away. All that’s left behind is an expression of pure, unconditional love, one Senna knows is mirrored on her own face. As different as they both are, the most important fact remains - they will both do anything for their children.

Zaheer observes them for a while, then he focuses on Tonraq. Their demeanor from before, bordering on hostile, is replaced by some sort of tentative agreement. Senna understands perfectly - they too recognize a part of themselves in one another.

She feels Tonraq’s glance shift towards her. When she meets it, Senna finds her own realization reflected back to her - more cautious, given rougher shape by his creased brows, but the same nonetheless, defying all odds and logic.

In that moment, they both know the decision has already been made.

**Author's Note:**

> Coda:
> 
> Tonraq grows serious again. "If there should be any real discussion about this, you people better have a solid plan."
> 
> In the corner of her eye, Senna spots Ming-Hua getting on her tiptoes to whisper into Ghazan's ear.
> 
> "Ah, there's the catch."
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please leave me feedback of any kind, comments are especially welcome :)


End file.
